The Sisyphean Myth of the ‘Popstar’
By Antonio Machado
Associate Editor
Superstardom is allegedly very difficult. Repeatedly, pop stars sing of their struggles with stardom, with glowing so bright that people repeatedly try to diminish their glow.
The topic, like many of the aforementioned stars, is incredibly tired. And yet, Tinashe finds an angle to tell her story with inescapable fervor.
“Popstar” is a story of a woman who has been far too many times rejected in the mainstream, yet continues to swim in defiance - ever striving for the fame her talent demands in an almost sisyphean manner.
Decorated with nuances, buzzwords, and incredible melodies, Tinashe combines elements of R&B, pop, electronic, and dance music in a concoction that defines the sound of the mid-2020s.
Ever since parting ways with RCA and becoming an independent artist, Tinashe has been making strides toward immortality in the musical world the size of the grand canyon. She’s operating completely in the confines of a frequency only the greatest musicians have tapped into.
For Tinashe, hitmaking is “Too Easy.” Every track is constructed surgically, placing production at the forefront and allowing listeners to be consumed. She sings much less than usual on this record, but never to her detriment. Every track is absolutely captivating.
The topline of every hook is irrevocably captivating. This record is impossible to put down once picked up. The thumping bass in “Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore” is less of a complaint and more like a form of hypnosis.
It’s incredibly refreshing to hear a record so astutely aware of itself and with such a refined sense of purpose. It doesn’t overstay its welcome nor does it ever leave you asking for more. It’s an endlessly satiating listen from front-to-back.
There is an incredible control in her delivery, yet Tinashe is discernably hungry. “I don't wanna work for love, no / We live in a society / I'm gonna feel the love / 25/8, I'm grinding,” she sings on “Twentyfive Eight, an eerie track where she delves into the amount of work she does to achieve her success.
“Popstar” is the story of its antithesis. A musician whose attempts leaps toward stardom have repeatedly left her disappointed. It dances on the line of being too successful to be normal yet not successful enough to be satisfied.
“When I realize I’m alone / I’ve been singing so long and nobody hears it / And I’m standing on the stage just waiting for applause that’ll never exist,” she sings on “Empty Stadium”
And yet, this record proves the very opposite. Now, at the apex of her relevance since “2 On,” Tinashe is no longer seeking approval from the general audience. Her sound is no longer appealing to a mass audience; it is Tinashe condensed, refined, yet uninhibited.
On “Melatonin,” she sings about how the general public has been sleeping on her on a track that sounds very much as though it were a DJ remix of an existing song. The record is very meta. There’s an ever-present self-awareness that keeps it both grounded yet alien.
These contradictions are what make the album amount to greatness. Tinashe has nothing to lose with “Popstar.” There’s a dangerous authenticity. She is not just surviving in a landscape where fame is handed out like candy; she is fighting tooth and nail to win, yet has come to terms with defeat.
Tinashe offers precise critique of an industry obsessed with synthetic virality and a bold display of undeniable artistic authority. She is not a survivor of the brutal music business, she is a creative who is completely free to explore herself and master her craft while existing in the periphery of fame.
Rating: A+
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